Weyburn Duo Compete With the World's Best

For Weyburn curlers Emily Haupstein and Landon Field, it was anything but your average weekend of curling. The two grade 12 students were taking part in the Callie Mixed Doubles Classic this past weekend in Regina and found themselves mixed in with some excellent competition. 

"It was really cool because we got to play some really competitive teams that we would never get to play on a regular basis," Field said. "We played two-time Olympic gold medallist, John Morris, twice and we ended up playing them in the playoffs."

Mixed doubles curling is still a relatively new variation on the traditional game and it came to light last year at the Winter Olympics. Haupstein and Field both curl competitively and figured they would give the two-person game a try. This was their first ever tournament together and they fared pretty well.

In the 32-team tournament they were able to win four games and qualify for the playoffs, and by doing so earned money for their finish. They lost to the eventual champs in Morris and Jolene Campbell, but both said the experience was amazing. 

"At the beginning, it's kind of nerve-wracking because they have way more experience than you. But then once you start playing and actually start scoring, it was kind of cool," Haupstein said. 

It wasn't just the Canadian Olympians they had to face, 7-time Saskatchewan champ Steve Laycock was there and the Field/Haupstein combo actually defeated him 8–1 in their second game. 

"It was pretty neat being able to play a pretty good Saskatchewan team that's won a lot," Field explained. 

The pair also went up against Scottish national champions Team Aitken, but fell 7–0. They found themselves sitting with a 3–2 record and in the 'C' side qualifier for the last spot in the playoff bracket. The matchup saw the Weyburn duo matched up with Wadena's Nathan Pomedli and Haupstein's regular teammate, Emma Weins. 

It was their most exciting match of the tournament, as the game came down to the final shot. Field and Haupstein prevailed with a 6–5 win and earned bragging rights over their peers. Haupstein said the mix of talents and their local connections made it an enjoyable weekend. 

"It was really fun because there were also other people from Weyburn there and we got to enjoy it with them and compete against them," she said.

The pair was pleased with how they played and liked the set-up of mixed doubles curling. Next up for them is another tournament in February, where they will try and qualify for provincials. The Saskatchewan mixed doubles championships are taking place in Weyburn from Feb. 21-24.